1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a self-contained powered surgical apparatus for applying surgical clips to body tissue.
2. Description of Related Art
In laparoscopic and endoscopic surgical procedures, a small incision is made in the patient's body to provide access for a tube or cannula device. Once extended into the patient's body, the cannula allows insertion of various surgical instruments for acting on organs, blood vessels, ducts, or body tissue far removed from the incision. In general, an instrument utilized during an endoscopic procedure has an elongated body with a tool assembly associated with the distal end thereof and an actuation assembly at the proximal end thereof for controlling the operation of the tool assembly from a location remote from the surgical site. With the advent of laparoscopic surgery, the need for a suitable endoscopic hemostatic clip applier became clearly defined. Hemostatic clips are generally applied to blood vessels or ducts to prevent the flow of body fluids therethrough.
One example of a clip applier which is used in laparoscopic surgery is described in U.S Pat. No. 5,084,057. This instrument includes a mechanism for advancing a plurality of surgical clips towards a pair of distal jaw members. In operation, as each clip is dispensed from the apparatus, the clip advancement mechanism becomes positioned proximal to the distal-most clip in preparation for its advancement into the jaws. At a desired time, the user of the instrument manually releases the clip advancement structure to feed the distal-most clip into the jaw members. Thereupon, through actuation of handle structure, the jaw members are closed to advantageously crimp the clip.
Surgeons have also recognized the benefit of surgical instruments that are actuable with only a limited degree of physical force. Self-powered surgical instruments have been provided to serve these needs and include both gas powered surgical instruments as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,815,476 and 3,837,555, and electrically powered surgical instruments as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,635,638 and 5,258,007. A powered clip applying tool for use in laparoscopic surgery is described in European Patent Application 0 552 050. In general, prior art electrically powered instruments are driven by external power sources. Often, these instruments are connected to the external power sources by conductive cables. During a surgical procedure, cables can become entangled however, thereby complicating the operation.
It would be beneficial to provide a serf-contained powered surgical apparatus for applying hemostatic clips to body tissue. Such a device should be compact, lightweight, and easy to manufacture. Currently, surgical instruments are designed for use in either open, i.e. invasive procedures or endoscopic/laparoscopic procedures. As noted above, endoscopic instruments require elongated bodies to access remote surgical sites. Generally, conventional surgical instruments are not constructed in this manner. It would be advantageous to provide a powered clip applicator which can be readily adapted for use in endoscopic or laparoscopic procedures as well as conventional surgical procedures.